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Keselowski: No matter what, positive drug test a death sentence

Brad Keselowski, known around the circuit as a driver who will speak his mind, pulled no punches Friday when discussing drug testing and his teammate, AJ Allmendinger. Photo by LAT PHOTOGRAPHIC

Brad Keselowski may be the only stock-car racer who can bring up Jeff Foxworthy, airplane crashes, the Flintstones and drug testing during the same 20-minute interview. Oh, and by the way, he's afraid that even if teammate AJ Allmendinger is cleared of drug-abuse charges, his reputation and career may not survive the shadow hanging over him in the Sprint Cup garages.

“Whether (the second test) comes back positive or negative, it doesn't make any difference,” Keselowski said Friday at New Hampshire Motor Speedway, scene of Sunday afternoon's Lenox Tools 301. “It's still a death sentence. Within this sport, we rely on sponsors and reputation. And it seems like those headlines for the corrections section in the newspaper are always in a much smaller print [than the original headline]. I don't know if you've noticed that [laughter], but it's much smaller print. I don't think it's any different for the rest of society.”

Allmendinger, midway through his first season in the No. 22 Dodge for Penske Racing, was summarily suspended last weekend in Daytona Beach. In a brief press conference--no questions were taken--NASCAR officials said the “A” sample of urine collected the previous weekend in Kentucky had tested positive for a banned substance. Allmendinger is suspended until the “B” sample from Kentucky also is tested, likely next week. Former Indy 500 winner Sam Hornish Jr. filled in last weekend and will drive the No. 22 again Sunday.

Keselowski, a three-race winner this year, is the tour's most outspoken and opinionated driver. He admits his take on Allmendinger's case probably differs from other drivers, most of whom are older than his 28 years. For example, he disagrees with Carl Edwards that drivers need their own testing facility and more say-so in NASCAR's drug-testing procedures. Edwards has said that in addition to the samples NASCAR collects and test, the drivers should have a facility and technicians to test the same sample.

“I'm certainly not supportive of Carl's idea,” Keselowski said. “I don't think there's a place for things like that. We don't need more politics in the sport, and that's what groups like that bring in. Some people say it doesn't matter what it was [that tested positive]. I disagree with that. It does matter because there's always a level of uncertainty I have over any athlete or driver who performs at these levels and what they're taking or not taking.

“It's so difficult to give a great explanation of how I feel, but I want to believe that no performer or athlete would be dumb enough to take a drug that's against the law. It stands to reason that if you've made it this far you've had the knowledge to not do anything that dumb. But I don't know. I don't know if that's what it was [with Allmendinger]. I hope it wasn't [stupidity]. I hope it was something simple [like] a stimulant or whatever release he put out. If that's the case, it does make a difference.”

Keselowski takes a hard line--an unyielding hard line, in fact--on athletes talking anything. “It's my personal belief that nothing should be allowed, nothing,” he said. “You shouldn't be able to take Flintstone [vitamin] pills. I think you're race-car drivers so you should have to overcome it. I think it's a bunch of [bull] that people are allowed to take supplements or any of those things. The gray area is that what's allowed per the law is not necessarily allowed per drug codes throughout sports. That creates another set of issues and is why I think nothing should be allowed.

“I'm scared when I go in that room for a drug test. It's a phobia of mine. I'm scared because it's a death sentence for my career if something goes wrong. It's in human hands and by being in human hands there's the potential for error. I'd like to believe it's gone through the processes to make sure it's done right, that that no one would risk someone's career if it wasn't checked, checked and back-checked. But I also know humans make mistakes even when they check, check and recheck. That's why airplanes crash. That's how things go. There are plenty of redundancies in the airlines, but they still find a way to crash.”

Keselowski is worried that politics and legal wrangling will take over if drivers are excused for using over-the-counter drugs but penalized for using prescription drugs that might result in an inadvertent positive test. “Then it comes down to who you've got for a doctor or a lawyer who'll say this is okay and this is not,” he said. “We all know you can get doctors or lawyers to say you're okay with anything. It reminds me of an old Jeff Foxworthy joke about the difference between kids and senior citizens. You worry about drugs with both of them. The only difference is that one is legal and one is not. There doesn't need to be any committee that approves drugs or supplements. I think you shouldn't be allowed to take anything. Just man-up and drive the damn race car.”